The 1976 Motor Trend Car of the Year was presented to Chrysler Corporation for its Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen line of automobiles.
Chrysler essentially started with a clean piece of paper. Of course the new car would make use o some existing parts. But Chrysler, while aware of the trend away from full-size cars and toward smaller, more resource-efficient cars, also felt the American public would like to have its cake and eat it too. Th company wanted to build a smaller, more agile and more efficient car that still offered the ride and feel of much larger machines. As a Plymouth press release put it, ” The Plymouth Volare is tuned to the economy-minded consumer shopping for big-car qualities in a small, sensible and stylish transportation package.”
The bodies, while obviously bearing a strong Chrysler family resemblance, were designed with the aid of computers and extensive wind tunnel testing, resulting in an appreciable gain in aerodynamics; 10% better than 1975 Chrysler compacts, according to the company.
Motor Trend felt the Aspen and Volare had made the most significant contribution to the automotive world for 1976.
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